The annual meeting of the United Methodist Association of Communicators is in Chicago this year from Oct. 25-27 at the Palmer House. This is a great opportunity for anyone who works on church communications!

There are many great speakers and workshops. Bishop Sally Dyck will be leading worship and a roundtable on Fri. Oct. 25. Click here for information and to register.

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Interpreter Enrollment

Churches are eligible to receive five complimentary print subscriptions and unlimited digital subscriptions. If church leaders and pastors take advantage of this opportunity soon, the pastor will receive a free subscription for the 2014 Interpreter.

New this year, each subscriber to

Interpreter digital through the church enrollment process will also receive a free digital subscription to New World Outlook.

I encourage you to take advantage of this "double-offer" and the opportunity to connect with others in the denomination.

* Develop a disaster plan that fits with the church's mission * Connect the church to outside resources and to the community's emergency plans * Identify types of disasters likely to impact the church community and the needs that may arise * Assess the church's resources to meet those needs * Identify the church's role in disaster readiness and response.

Cost: $20 includes manual and snacks. Space is limited. Call the church to register. 815.476.5474

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Scooter Available

Cornerstone UMC in Elgin has been given a brand new Pride Jazzy Select Traveler Scooter and is looking for anyone who may need it. If you are interested contact Marie R. Johnson at 847-464-HOPE (4673).

Plumbline - Application deadline extended

Deadline for Plumbline EXTENDED until September 5. Slots are filling up quickly.

If you or a youth in your church is interested in going, please contact Rev. Michael Mann before that date, mmann@umcnic.org or 847-931-0710, ext. 20.

Plumbline 2013 is a 4-day trip to New York City for high school youth in the NIC conference from Sunday, October 13 to Wednesday, October 16.

This year's theme is Immigration: stories, faith, future. We will look at the history and the stories surrounding people's migration to the U.S., including why this issue has come up at this time.

Bishop Sally Dyck and husband Ken Ehrman were dressed in customary clothing from the region and given a warm welcome by many in the town of Ancoraimes.

Bishop visits Bolivia

Bishop Sally Dyck traveled to Bolivia this week with Elgin District Superintendent Oscar Carrasco to renew the covenant between the NIC and the Evangelical Methodist Church in Bolivia.

After a long day, they were greeted in Copacabana by Jeff Wasilevich and Deborah Rissing, Volunteers in Mission from Downers Grove First UMC who are living in the Lake Titicaca region on the border of Peru and Bolivia.

Earlier in the day, the Bishop visited Chua and Ancoraimes where she was treated to a celebratory welcome. The women there dressed the Bishop in pollera (full skirt), shawl, hat, and streamers. Watch a video of the Bishop's welcome.

They danced from the church to the town square with a band and 50 people following with great enthusiasm.The community thanked and showed great appreciation to the NIC for their support. (thanks to Joyce Carrasco for contributing to this report.)

UMM Spiritual Congress

Join us at Williams Bay Wisconsin, September 13-15 for our 54th Spiritual Congress.

Annually the NICUMM have been sponsoring this event. All are welcome. This includes all clergy and all men of the United Methodist Church for a relaxing weekend in one of the most beautiful spots in America.

The guest speaker this year is dynamic speaker, author and teacher, David Murrow. Click here for registration and more information.

JFON Fundraiser Dinner September 15

Come celebrate the work of Justice for Our Neighbors (Northern Illinois) at our Second Annual Celebration Dinner! The Fundraiser Dinner will be held September 15, 2013, 5:00 pm at the European Chalet (5445 S.Harlem Ave., Chicago, IL 60638).

Because of a National JFON Grant, every individual grant given to JFON this year will be MATCHED. Your gift to the dinner can be doubled, up to a total of $10,000. In order to qualify, a gift must come from an individual and not from a congregation. This is so that JFON can follow-up with that person, creating a relationship that transforms.

Register NOW for Natural Church Development Training!

September 13-14, 2013

The Office of Congregational Development and Redevelopment invites you to a unique training opportunity in Natural Church Development. NCD is a process that has been developed over the past 14 years to help all churches increase in health and vitality.

Registration only costs $60, but you must register by September 6. Registration includes materials and lunch, but participants must make their own hotel arrangements. To register or receive more information, visit www.umcnic.org/NCD or call Judy Siabaat (312) 346-9766, ext. 724.

Upcoming Healthy Discipleship Systems Weekend - October 4-5, 2013

The Office of Congregational Development and Redevelopment invites ALL pastors, church staff, lay persons, and other interested parties to this two-day training. Pastor Junius Dotson (Saint Mark UMC, Wichita, KS) will lead seminars in developing healthy discipleship systems for vital Christians in vital churches.

The Healthy Discipleship Systems Weekend is October 4-5 at Crowne Plaza Hotel (2875 N. Milwaukee Ave., Northbrook, IL), Registration costs $70, but you can save $10 by registering before September 13. To register or receive more information, visit www.umcnic.org/discipleship or call Judy Siaba at (312) 346-9766, ext. 724.

In the 60 seconds it takes to read this, somewhere in Africa a child will die from malaria.

Malaria, a disease spread by mosquitoes:* Infects nearly 500 million people each year* Kills more than 1 million of those infected* Is a leading killer of children in Africa

12 members of the Northern Illinois Conference, representing the Chicago Northwestern, Chicago Southern and Aurora Districts, participated in the Disciple Bible Outreach Ministries training on August 24, 2013 in Dwight, IL.

Participants were trained to lead Disciple Bible Study in prison settings and certified as "disciple Bible outreach ministries volunteers".

This joint prison ministry between the Northern Illinois and the Illinois Great Rivers Conferences will begin in September. The only NIC prison to be included in this start-up program is the Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet. For more information or training, please contact Mark Dehority at 217-768-3626 or mark@dehority1.com.

Spanish as a Second LanguageSpanish Teachers Wanted

Are you proficient in Spanish and have experience teaching? Then apply to become a Spanish as a Second Language teacher. Our teachers are given a curriculum to use and an orientation that can train them on teaching in the classroom. Come and share your gifts, inviting others to know their neighbors. A stipend is available to our teachers.

A new resource on Syria relief relief highlights UMCOR and on-the-ground partner support to provide 70,450 relief supply kits including health, school, birthing and layette kits to the most vulnerable populations in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. Learn more about UMCOR's Syria response here.

Free Media Resource Materials

I have been reviewing the catalog of resources and am in the processing of culling out resources, primarily VHS tapes that have not been used for 10 years.

Review the list and if you would like to have any of these for your church or personal library, send me an e-mail with the Resource Code and the Title. I will be happy to ship them to you. No Charge. Yours to keep forever. Offer ends on September 27.